Freight
Legacy ID
1541
Air Cargo Down 11% Between the U.S. and Foreign Points, May 2020 (Preliminary)
U.S. and foreign airlines carried 11% less cargo by weight between the U.S. and foreign points in May 2020 than in May 2019, including a 40% decline in cargo between the U.S. and Europe, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by large air carriers. May’s decline was smaller than decreases in March (down 17%) and April (down 16%).
May 2020 (preliminary) cargo numbers to and from the U.S. by world geographic areas (by weight):
- Total to and from the U.S.: 735 thousand tons, down 10.7% from May 2019 (823T tons)
- Europe: 122 thousand tons, down 40.4% from May 2019 (204T tons)
- Latin America: 90 thousand tons, down 17.3% from May 2019 (109T tons)
- Asia (including China): 392 thousand tons, up 10.3% from May 2019 (356T tons)
- China: 85 thousand tons, down 2.9% from May 2019 (87T tons)
- Canada: 22 thousand tons, down 9.4% from May 2019 (24T tons)
The total to and from the U.S. includes world areas that are not shown separately.
U.S. Tonne-Kilometers of Freight
KEY: R= revised; U = data are not available.
a Incudes Freight, Express, and Mail.
b Estimates from 1980 to 1989 come from the Association of American Railroads using ton mile values from the Surface Transportation Board’s Waybill Sample. The Waybill Sample represents all major U.S. railroads, including all Class I railroads and several short-line railroads.
c Foreign water traffic is only measured for their travel on U.S. waterways, based on distance from coastal entrance channels to ports and...
Annual Rise in U.S. Airlines May Domestic Cargo (Almost 5%) Largest Increase Since July 2019
U.S. airlines carried 4.7% more domestic cargo by weight in May 2020 than in May 2019, the largest annual gain since July 2019 while the 8.4% decline in international cargo was the smallest annual loss since February, according to preliminary data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 15 of the leading cargo airlines.
The 15 airlines carry more than 95% of the total cargo by weight on U.S. airlines. Cargo data consists of freight and mail carried within the U.S. and between the U.S. and foreign points.
May 2020 North American Transborder Freight Down 49% from May 2019
Transborder freight between the U.S. and other North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in May 2020:
Total Transborder freight: $56.1 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 48.9% compared to May 2019. The $56.1 billion in total Transborder freight was the lowest amount since May 2009.
- Most-used mode: Trucks moved $39.1 billion of freight, down 43.2% compared to May 2019.
- Second most-used mode: Railways moved $5.5 billion of freight, down 66.3% compared to May 2019.
- Transborder freight value in May was down 3.5% from April and down 43.3% from March.
Commodity Flow Survey 2017: Select Industries Shipped Almost 12.5B Tons, Up 10.4% from 2012
American manufacturers, wholesalers, and other selected industries shipped nearly 12.5 billion tons of goods in 2017, 10.4% more than in 2012, with a total value of more than $14.5 trillion, according to final estimates from the 2017 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) released today. The CFS covers about three-fourths of all U.S. freight movements, excluding imports, shipments from farms, crude oil production, and a few smaller categories.
On a typical day in 2017, establishments in these industries moved 34.2 million tons of goods, valued at $39.7 billion, and generated approximately 8.5 billion ton-miles on the nation's transportation network.